Creepy Crawly Spider Halloween!

Halloween, which is celebrated on October 31, is a holiday in which adults and children can participate together. Have some howling fun by having a costume party and playing special games like bobbing for apples. Go "trick-or-treating," tell "scary" ghost stories, and have a pumpkin-carving contest. Whatever you and your children decide to do, you’ll go batty over our Halloween and spider activities and ideas. Here are just a few spider-related activities that you can share with your children to get them in the mood for Halloween or use for your creepy spider Halloween party.

Friendship Spider Web
Have children stand in a circle. Have one child hold on to the end of a ball of black yarn and toss the ball to another child on the opposite side of the circle. That child then throws the ball across to another child. Continue until a spider web is created.

Arachnid Treats
With peanut butter, make a cracker sandwich with two round crackers. Insert eight pretzel "legs" into the filling. With a dab of peanut butter, set two raisin "eyes" on top. Serve some witches brew to wash down the spiders. (You can find directions on our site on to make a spider drinking straw.)

Spider Obstacle Course
Have groups of 4 children stand together, one behind the other. Each player in a group holds the hands of the player directly behind him/her, thus connecting the group of 4. This group represents a spider (8 legs). The group must make it through an obstacle course without disconnecting hands in the quickest time. If the hands come apart, the "spider" must return to the beginning and start again.

Spider Craft
Cut an egg carton into little cups sections. Paint an egg carton section with black paint. Let it dry. Using an awl or screwdriver, make 8 holes in the bottom edge of the egg carton for the spider's legs. Cut some black chenille stems into small pieces. Push chenille stems in to one side of the egg carton section and out the opposite side to create legs and then bend the legs. Glue a pompom on top of egg carton. Glue on some wiggle eyes.

Spider Rhymes and Songs
Recite the Little Miss Muffet rhyme with felt puppets (see member site spider activity section) and sing together "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" song. Ask children about their experiences with spiders. Do they like them or not? Look at different pictures of spiders. Discuss facts about spiders.

Fingerprint Spiders
Here’s an easy activity! Have children use a black non-toxic ink pad to make fingerprints on a piece of paper. Then have them draw eight legs on their fingerprints to represent spiders.

Feed the Spider Game
This revised version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey is a fun game to play at a party. Paint a big spider on a web on a big piece of paper. Cut small squares of different colored felt or fabric and place a spoonful of rice in the middle. Tie together with a string and have children decorate their bug with a black marker. Have children try to toss the bugs to the spider to feed the creepy creature. The bug closest to the spider wins a prize.

Spider Books
Go to the library to learn about spiders and to read some fun books with spiders as the main characters, such as The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle, Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott, and Miss Spider’s Tea Party by David Kirk.

Spider Bingo
Using poster board or cardboard from recycled cereal boxes, cut an eight-inch square board for each child. Draw a grid with nine squares on each board. Place different colored shapes on each square in the grid. Laminate or cover with clear contact paper. To play, call out different colors and shapes. Have children cover their squares with spider rings. Three in a row makes a Spider Bingo!